Any how, it was a beautiful sunny day again here in the Alps and it was suggested to me that if there was any one VF route to do in the area, it was "La cascade de l'Oule: grand dièdre," touted as one of the most difficult in the Alps.
Click on the image above and see if you can spot the person on the Grand Diedre. (centre of photo)
I took the red route to the left.
The sign says, "extremely difficult, very athletic, very vertiginous, no way out." Sounds good for my first time...
The route is situated 20 kms north of Grenoble over the town of Crolles (site of Petzl headquarters, famous climbing gear manufacturer). I simply took a bus from Grenoble to get there.
After a heart racing uphill approach (which I think was the most exhausting part), I arrived at the base and began the ascent. While via ferrata poses little challenge to an experienced climber, it does give you some great views and a mildly athletic experience. You're basically climbing a ladder the whole way up. The Grand Diedre was unique in that there are sections that overhang, and there is pleanty of exposure (parts where there is a lot of cliff and air below you).
Looking up the Grand Diedre
Looking down the G.D. "doucement...ne pas tomber l'appareil photo!" One of the great parts of the day is watching all the paragliders in the area swoop around me, and then to get to the top and watch them launch. Looks like a tonne of fun. Some photos...
After enjoying the paragliding show, the quaint town of St.Hilaire above the vf route, I raced back down, hopped on the bus back, caught a quick nap, and when I got back to Grenoble, I ran to the Bastille and did the VF route on the Bastille. Being considerably easier (and now that I am a seasoned vet.), I raced up it, even soloing some sections. The 45 minute route took me under 20. All in all a great day in the mountains.This weekend we're heading out of town to do some climbing near Avignon. Should be fun!
Cheers!
2 comments:
Dale,
Very nice photos and a great story to match - thanks! You're looking pretty suave in your helmet there... Who took that shot of you?
Not often do I encounter a weblog that's both informative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you might have hit the nail on the head. Your conceptis great; the issue is something that not sufficient individuals are speaking wisely about. I am happy that I found this in my pursuit of something relating to this.
My homepage :: fungal nail cure ()
Post a Comment